With the “love holiday” barely in our rearview mirror, I’m willing to bet a few of you got engaged in the past seven days. CONGRATULATIONS!
So he put a ring on it. Now what? After you get tired of all the staring at your new bling when you think no one’s looking (like that’s ever going to happen), it’s time to start planning. The trend-that’s-turning-tradition, save-the-date cards, are one of the first things you’ll need to consider after setting the date.
Why send save the date cards?
Check your guest list off your to-do list early.
You should only send save the dates to the people you intend to invite to the wedding. By necessity, this requires you to put together your guest list sooner rather than later. Make sure that your budget is set first. You don’t want to ask people to save the date, only to discover you can’t afford to have them all attend the wedding. Yikes! Once you have the date and budget pinned down, save the date cards can be sent from four to 12 months ahead of time. With this advance planning, you’ll have an approximate guest count, so you’re ready for those conversations with a wedding planner, event coordinators, caterers and more. You can also use the wedding guest list to build your bridal shower invitation list. Having the guest list done early eliminates some of the stress, and that’s music to a bride-to-be’s ears!
Ensure your favorite people can be at your wedding.
Guests who need to make travel plans, and everyone else who has a busy life, can arrange to be there celebrating with you on your big day when you give them enough notice. If the first time they officially know your wedding date is coming is after receiving your wedding invitation six weeks out from the date, it’s hard for travelers to get time off and book an affordable flight. Local guests may have problems too. They may have already committed to other plans — particularly during summer months — or the kids’ favorite babysitter could already be scheduled to take care of someone else’s children that day. Giving everyone advanced notice means they have no excuses and will have plenty of time to make arrangements.
Share the love and the details.
It’s possible that your save the date reminder will be the first time some guests “meet” one of the two of you. Custom photo save the dates are fun for your guests to receive! If they know you both, they’ll love seeing your engagement photo. If they only know one of you, this is their first chance to see the other. The first thing I do when I receive a save the date (after marking it on my calendar) is put it on my refrigerator in a place of honor! As for the details, along with the date and the location for the ceremony and reception, you can include your wedding website and any other helpful info to keep guests informed. If you’re having a destination wedding, it’s likely you’ll have even more details to share.
We’ve talked about why you should send a save the date card, but there are some things you don’t want to do. Three words of caution:
1) Write “magnet enclosed” on the outside of the envelope if you opted for a save the date magnet instead of a card. I love the magnets (they make displaying them on my fridge that much easier)! But you don’t want someone to leave the envelope sitting on something the magnetic field could affect, like credit cards, hotel room keys or gift cards.
2) Reconsider confetti in the card. Personally, I love it. Even if I sometimes grumble when trying to clean it up off the floor. But some people can find it really irritating to open an envelope and have confetti rain down. Maybe there’s something else you can use that would be a fun surprise without causing cleanup issues? Perhaps a cool foil insert or vellum with a personal note or song lyrics printed on it.
3) Do not send ‘Don’t Save the Date’ cards. When people don’t get an invitation, they’ll figure out they’re not invited. Sending a notification that they will not be invited to your wedding is not necessary and can be considered tacky or rude. That’s the last thing you want to do.
Have you chosen your save the date cards yet? Or do you have any save the date tips you can share with other brides to be? Please share! Leave us a comment on our 123Print Facebook page, tweet us @123Print or write a note below.